Sasol lifts FM on synthetic ethanol supplies from Germany site

03 December 2010 11:44[Source: ICIS news]

LONDON (ICIS)--Sasol Solvents lifted force majeure (FM) on synthetic ethanol production at its site at Herne, Germany, this week following a successful plant restart and the re-instatement of deliveries, a company source said on Friday.

The ethanol unit resumed operations last week following the resolution of technical difficulties.

“We are now serving the orders in our books and will possibly re-enter the spot market mid-month,” said the source, stressing, however, that it needed to replenish stocks as a priority. “What is produced, is immediately loaded,” the source added.

The FM at the plant, which has a nameplate capacity of 140,000 tonnes/year, came into effect in the first half of November.

The European traditional ethanol market was described as very tight by players. This was attributed to a spate of synthetic production constraints, globally poor harvests, limited imports and intensified competition with the food and fuels sectors.

The Sasol Solvents business in Germany is part of the global Sasol Solvents Division headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa.